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Conservation Stewardship Program Program Description The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a voluntary conservation program that encourages producers to address resource concerns in a comprehensive manner by:
How CSP Works csp Encourages land stewards to improve their conservation performance by installing and adopting additional activities, and improving, maintaining, and managing existing activities on agricultural land and nonindustrial private forest land. NRCS will make CSP available nationwide on a continuous application basis. The State Conservationist, in consultation with the State Technical Committee and local work groups, will focus program impacts on natural resources that are of specific concern for a State, or the specific geographic areas within a State. Applications will be evaluated relative to other applications addressing similar priority resource concerns to facilitate a competitive ranking process among applicants within a State who face similar resource challenges. The entire operation must be enrolled and must include all eligible land operated substantially separate that will be under the applicant's control for the term of the proposed contract. CSP offers participants two possible types of payments:
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ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM
GENERAL PROGRAM DESCRIPTION THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM PROCESS IN ARKANSAS WAS DERIVED FROM A LOCAL LED AND PARTNERS EFFORT. WITH THE HELP OF PARTNERS AND LOCALLY LED GROUPS THE NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE IDENTIFIED EIGHT FUNDING CATEGORIES. EQIP WILL ALSO GIVE ADDITIONAL ATTENTION TO GROUNDWATER DECLINE PROBLEMS, AND INCREASED ASSISTANCE FOR FORESTRY LANDOWNERS. APPLICATIONS FOR EQIP ARE TAKEN AT A LOCAL USDA FIELD SERVICE CENTERS. THE 2016 SIGN UP IS CURRENTLY GOING ON. HOWEVER, APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED AT ANYTIME. NRCS, WITH THE ASSISTANCE FROM THE FARMER/RANCHER, WILL DETERMINE INDIVIDUAL ENVIRONMENTAL RANKING POINTS, ACCORDING TO THE NRCS APPLICATION RANKING TOOL (AERT). ALL APPLICATIONS WILL BE ENTERED INTO PROTRACTS AT THE LOCAL OFFICES. AT THE END OF THE RANKING PERIOD, THE NRCS STATE OFFICE WILL THEN SELECT A PREAPPROVED APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING. ANYONE SELECTED FOR FUNDING WILL NEED TO WORK CLOSELY WITH NRCS TO DEVELOP A CONTRACT OR AGREEMENT WITHIN STRICT TIME FRAMES THAT WILL BE PROVIDED UPON NOTICE OF SELECTION. LOCAL AND STATEWIDE FUNDING THE LOCAL CATEGORIES ARE INTENDED TO FOCUS ON THE PRIMARY RESOURCE ISSUES IN A LOCALIZED AREA, AS IDENTIFIED BY THE LOCALLY-LED CONSERVATION WORKGROUP REPRESENTATIVES FOR EACH COUNTY. THE STATEWIDE CATEGORIES ARE DESIGNED TO ADDRESS THE RESOURCE CONCERNS OF WATER QUALITY ISSUES RELATED TO ANIMAL MANURE MANAGEMENT AND SEDIMENTATION, IMPROVED MANAGEMENT OF IRRIGATION WATER AND REDUCTION IN GROUND WATER USE, REDUCTION OF EROSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF WILDLIFE HABITAT. ALL APPLICATIONS WILL BE EVALUATED FOR FUNDING BASED ON A STATE DEVELOPED PROCEDURE TO OPTIMIZE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS. APPLICATIONS RANKING HIGHEST IN A FUNDING CATEGORY WILL BE FUNDED SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY OF PROGRAM FUNDS. PRIMARY ISSUES ADDRESSED BY EQIP EQIP CONTINUES TO ADDRESS THOSE PRIMARY RESOURCE CONCERNS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED BY LOCALLY LED GROUPS. THESE ARE: - WILDLIFE HABITAT CONCERENS - WATER QUALITY, ANIMAL WASTE; WATER QUALITY , SEDIMENT, INCLUDING EROSION CONTROL - WATER QUALITY, ANIMAL WASTE; WATER QUALITY, SEDIMENT, INCLUDING EROSION CONTROL - WATER QUANTITY, IRRIGATION(ESPECALLY GROUNDWATER DECLINE) - SOIL QUALITY, EROSION - PLANT HEALTH, FOREST - WATER QUALITY, FORESTS - PLANT HEALTH, GRAZING LAND |
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| Randolph County Conservation District |
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